


hold me before you go

by justkurotingz



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Fluffy Ending, Protective Mac, macriley, serious angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justkurotingz/pseuds/justkurotingz
Summary: mac discovers riley's place ransacked and her missing. after a text from murdoc, he knows he needs to do whatever needs to be done to save riley.
Relationships: Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 64
Kudos: 116





	1. riley + murdoc + morse code

mac knew something was wrong from the second he stepped out the door this morning. shortly after desi left him, riley moved out, leaving mac all alone again. sure, the down time was nice, but he missed riley a lot. her laugh, her smile, her (failed) cooking, just her overall presence always brightened mac's day. mac pulled out his cell phone to dial riley's number. "hey, riles it's me. please call me back, i just uh had a bad feeling about today." he stared at his phone for a second after leaving the message and slipped it in his pocket with a sigh.

she was fine. probably. _it wouldn't hurt to check_ , mac reasoned. he took a left towards riley's apartment instead of the right towards phoenix at the end of the road. as he pulled into riley's apartment's parking lot, a sinking feeling of dread settled in his stomach. her car was still parked at front, looking pretty normal, so maybe she was just sleeping in?

she _did_ do that a lot. mac smiled at the thought but his face quickly fell when he noticed her door was open. opening the door slightly, he called out "riles?" the sight that greeted his eyes made his stomach plummet. riley's usually-somewhat-clean apartment was a mess. her lamp had been knocked over, and books and papers littered the ground. someone had obviously searched the apartment.... or somebody had put up a struggle.

"riles?" mac called again, his voice rising. "riley!" he yelled, throwing open her bedroom door. the sheets were crumpled as if she was dragged from bed. her phone and laptop lay on the bed, untouched and mac swallowed hard. "oh god, riles...." he pulled out his phone and immediately dialed bozer. "man where are you? you're never late. tell riley to get her ass here."

"boze, it's riles. i'm at her apartment, it's been broken in. she's gone and all her stuff is here." bozer immediately sobered up and called for the others in the background. "you're on speaker man." he informed mac. "alright. i came to riley's to check over her and the door was unlocked. her apartment has been seriously messed with, but her phone and laptop is still on her bed. someone was here, can you check security cameras?" the words tumbled out of mac's mouth in-discernibly fast.

"got it." matty spoke and the team collectively gasped at the sight of riley being hauled into an unmarked van just half an hour before mac showed up. "what is it?" mac's voice was high and russ sighed. "she was taken by two men in an unmarked black van." desi crossed her arms by her chest, staring at the screen in shock. "wait, mac she's blinking weird." mac's spirits soared at the words. _that was his girl._

"morse code. i'm on my way." he cut the call, and rushed to his car. mac had never drove as fast as he drove to the phoenix, speeding past stop signs and red lights. finding riley was his only priority and nothing was going to get in his way. minutes later he came rushing into the room, slightly out of breath from all the running. "show me." he demanded and bozer silently replayed the video.

"riles." he whispered, heart sinking at the sight. her hair was adorably messed up, pieces of hair falling into her face as she struggled. the men were wearing black hoodies and turned away from the cameras. but riley had locked onto the camera. she blinked quickly, just barely having enough time to convey six letters. 

six letters that sent mac's world reeling.  
_m u r d o c_


	2. cassian + texts + jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after hours of no contact, mac finally gets a text from murdoc about riley

it had been three hours, eighteen minutes, and twenty seconds since mac had arrived at the phoenix. he was driving himself crazy pacing in circles, head in his hands. "mac." matty intervened with a sigh. "she could be dead right now." his voice was quiet, the burden of riley's kidnapping falling directly onto his shoulders. he knew that murdoc wanted him, and the easiest way was to get to riley.

how he figured out mac's weakness was besides the point. he needed to know that riley was safe now. as if on cue, mac's phone buzzed on the table, and the team collectively turned towards it. mac rushed over, picking it up with trembling hands.

_long time no see boy scout. as you may have noticed, i have someone dear to you. seems fair seeing you have someone dear to me._

"what's he talking about?" desi frowned and bozer pulled up the text on the projector. "the only person he'd consider dear to him would be-" "his son cassian." russ finished matty's sentence and mac's blood ran cold. "cassian is missing and he blames _us?_ " rage filled mac's body as he glanced at the sentences on the screen.

"he took riley for this? when we find him i'm going to-" "cool it blondie. we're all worried about her, but let's not act rashly. murdoc hasn't said anything of importance yet. can we get a trace on the text?" matty turned to the analysts in the background who shrugged helplessly. "it's heavily encrypted. it's going to take a while to run a trace."

"ask about riley." desi suggested and mac nodded, letting out a deep breath. 

_i need to see her._

no answer. "let's try and find cassian. bozer, desi, go to cassian's foster home. find out everything you can. mac, unless you can get your head in the game, you're sitting this one out." russ instructed and mac's head immediately whipped around. "excuse me?" mac's eyes flashed and matty stepped in front of him. "you're distracted. i agree with russ, if you don't clear your head you'll just be a liability." 

mac's hands clenched by his side and his eyes hardened like chips of ice. "she's my best friend. there is no way in hell i'm sitting this one out. it's me murdoc wants, not her. if he thinks i had something to do with cassian missing, it's my fault that riley's kidnapped. my responsibility." matty and russ stayed silent for a second, but the tech analyst intervened.

"um, there's something else on mac's phone." all eyes turned to the analyst and she pulled up a file that mac didn't recognize. "i doubt it belongs to mac." the second the file was opened, mac turned away, eyes shut firmly.

it was a picture of riley bound to a chair. her face was turned away, angry bruises on her neck and cheek. tears streamed down her face, but she wasn't giving into the torture. "oh my god." desi murmured, and bozer was at a lack of words. "that son of a bitch." russ ground out, leaning forward and mac had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

if it was up to him, he would have had murdoc's head by now. _nobody_ hurts riles. a surge of red hot anger and protectiveness shot through mac and he jumped up, snatching his phone.

_let her go murdoc. it's me you want._

"go." matty glanced at bozer and desi, and they left, rushing down the hallway to get to cassian's family. "mac, don't beat yourself up. we couldn't have seen this coming. murdoc is as unpredictable as he is mentally stable. riley's incredibly strong, she'll get through this." matty reasoned, but mac wouldn't hear any of it.

_no can do macgyver. and after all, i couldn't have escaped without her._

"what is he talking about?" mac demanded and russ glanced at matty who looked equally lost. perhaps riley was involved in more trouble than she normally let on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried my best to finish this chapter up for you guys! :))


	3. black site + riley + murdoc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the hidden truth is revealed about murdoc's escape from the black site two months ago

bozer and desi had headed off to cassian's foster family to get some clues about his disappearance. mac hoped they had better luck than he was having. between a furious matty and a confused russ, he knew convincing them that murdoc was probably bluffing wasn't going to work. "guys you know riles. she'd never help someone like murdoc."

"blondie murdoc is many things, but there's truth behind his words. there's no need to lie now, he has riley. he had the upper hand." russ nodded and mac clenched his fists. "you seriously cannot believe this. come on matty, this is _riley davis_ we're talking about. she's the most loyal person i've ever known. she'd follow phoenix to the ends of the world doing the right thing. she's passionate, she's brave, she's beautiful, she's-" he stopped mid-rant at matty's look.

"blondie we all know how you feel about her. but that doesn't excuse the fact that she helped murdoc escape. we've been wasting resources and time looking for the mole for two months, and not once did riley let us in on her secret." mac stood up, suddenly uncomfortable how the tables turned. "is this a rescue mission or is it an op?" his voice was hard and matty matched his glare.

"that's up to riley." she glanced at the picture and mac sighed heavily, sinking back down into the chair.

+

"no, sorry. cassian's at an all-boys camp for this week. he started monday." bozer and desi exchanged looks. they didn't even know their foster son was missing. "we have reason to believe cassian is missing. did he maybe tell you anything before leaving for camp?" the woman sat down heavily, supported by her horrified husband. "cassian is _missing?_. nobody thought of informing us? i'm going to sue the living hell out of that camp." he started towards the phone and boze interrupted.

"sir, you can do that after answering our questions. we're just trying to find him, that's all." the man paused, turning back. his heavy build and mustache made him seem more imposing than he really was. "he's a normal kid." his voice broke and desi handed him tissues. "he's our son. he's always been distant, given the nature of boys i guess that's normal. he was talking a lot to this online friend. xgamer34 i think. they talked daily, i only found out after cleaning out his room monday. he just left for camp. he just left." he repeated, sitting down next to his wife and bozer sighed.

"mind if we take a look?" "sure." he muttered, patting his wife's arm. desi followed bozer to cassian's room and glanced around. at first glance, it was neat. a bed tucked away in the corner, desk with a laptop next to it. black action figures lining a bookshelf on the far right wall. a bathroom attached right next to the shelf. 

"laptop." bozer nodded at desi, checking out the bathroom while desi plugged a usb into the laptop, cloning the hard drive for the analysts at phoenix to examine. cassian tried to live a normal life, but having a famous serial killer as a dad wasn't the epitome of normal. desi let her thoughts wander to mac. breaking up with him had been hard, but they both knew what they had was pure physical attraction. mac connected to someone else on a emotional level, and as hurt as desi was, she understood.

she was the outsider. she couldn't replace jack, nobody could. but riley and mac had each other. that was how it was meant to be, and desi was coming in between their future. even though they didn't realize it yet, they were so madly in love with each other, the world narrowed to just them when they were with each other. desi had a sad smile on her face as she remember those feelings with mac. but they were never mutual, and they never would be. and she was ok with it.

"let's go." bozer's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and desi nodded, pulling out the usb. "let's find out who this xgamer34 is." "let's."

+

"i can't believe you two right now!" mac yelled and russ simply gritted his teeth. "mac, we're sorry." "THAT'S _MY_ GIRL! THATS RILEY DAVIS RIGHT THERE! MY RILEY! YOU CAN'T KICK ME OFF!" "i can and you have." matty ground out. "blondie, leave this room at once." desi and bozer walked through the door at that exact moment.

"what's going on?" bozer frowned and russ groaned. "mac has allowed himself to think with his heart over his head. picking fights every two minutes is not helping us or riley. he's off this op. what did you two gets about cassian?" bozer glanced at desi and cleared his throat. "we're not sharing until you let mac work with us again. if he's out so am i. she's my best friend too." 

matty and russ exchanged frustrated glances. "if you ever step out of line again..." she trailed off and mac nodded quickly. "he's at a camp, so his parents didn't even know he was gone. however, he was chatting with an xgamer34 online in the days prior to him leaving. we cloned his hard drive." desi tossed the usb to the analyst, who plugged it in immediately.

"any headway on your end? about riley.... helping murdoc escape?" russ and matty exchanged another glance, and looked at mac together. "we sent people to look closer into the black site breach and it wasn't a breach at all. a day before murdoc escaped, he had a visitor. riley." mac sprung up immediately. "that's not true. she'd never do that."

in response, matty just pulled up the surveillance of riley and murdoc talking quietly in the cell. mac's throat went dry as he stared at the two in horror. _not riley. this can't be happening._ "that doesn't prove anything." bozer spoke up and russ nodded. "we thought so, but look at what she does." the video zoomed in to riley handing murdoc some sort of package underneath the table.

"he escaped the next day. it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. riley helped murdoc escape." matty turned to a shell-shocked mac, and sighed. "this is no longer a rescue mission. we are treating this as an op, with riley davis as the criminal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEK i can't wait to finish this story lmao . it's storming really really bad here, so it was kinda comforting to write a little listening to the thunder.


	4. lies + xgamer34 + mac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the truth is revealed about xgamer 34. murdoc taunts mac futher, leading him to make a impulsive decision that puts everyones lives at stake

"i need to be alone." mac snapped as the door creaked behind him. there was a soft sigh, and then the door shut, but mac had a feeling the person didn't leave. he turned around dejectedly to see desi looking at him with concern. "mac, we all know that riley would never willingly help murdoc unless he blackmailed her, like he's blackmailing you. i've got an idea, but we need riley's laptop. you said that her stuff was left at her house, where is it now?"

mac glanced up at her, curious about her plan. "uhm, probably with matty or russ. i handed her stuff over to matty as soon as i arrived." desi's face reflected mac's frustration, and bozer came barreling through the door moments later. "i know, i'm the best. got them distracted, and just snuck it under their noses." he crowed, handing over her laptop to mac. "boze!" mac's face lit up and bozer grinned.

"anything for riley. so how we do hack into it?" mac just shook his head, typing the correct password in. "you know her password?" desi frowned and mac looked up. "of course. and she knows mine. for this situation exactly, if something happened to either of us, we'd be able to find clues. i trust her with my life, what's a few letters?" mac continued searching through riley's laptop for anything significant.

"wait a second. xgamer34, isn't that who cassian's been chatting with?" bozer and desi frowned, coming to join mac next to the laptop. "yeah, the analyst couldn't track the ip, but the texts were those of a boy close to cassian's age. they were pretty good friends, cassian told him about the camp and his foster family. you don't think that..."

"i'm thinking that whoever this xgamer34 is, they set this up in advance. grooming cassian and blackmailing riley." mac scrolled through the chats between riley and xgamer34, and then bozer stopped him at a photo of someone leaving the phoenix. "man, that's _you_." the trio exchanged shocked glances and slowly read through riley's replies.

_i have eyes and ears everywhere. unless you want your precious macgyver harmed, you're going to help me_

_you're lying._

_that's up for you to decide. but there's a 24 hour clock on this. as soon as it runs out, the boy wonder is dead._

the timestamps were roughly seventeen hours before riley visited murdoc, two months ago. there were no more texts exchanged between the two. desi swallowed hard and bozer stayed silent. "the only person that calls me boy wonder is..."

+

"murdoc." riley spat, glaring at the window. "you don't even have the courage to come and face me. i should have known you were lying. i should have never helped you. what do you want from me?" she cried, twisting uncomfortably in her bonds. the only answer was silence and she groaned, kicking furiously against the chair.

"if you touch him, i will make your life hell." she growled and murdoc chuckled. "oh riley, you're in no position to make threats. considering you're the feisty one(which i totally admire by the way), i'm going to let you in on a little secret if you settle down. i suppose you know about cassian?" she frowned, looking up at him. "he's missing." murdoc's smile simply grew larger.

"he's in france. he always did love it there." murdoc sighed wistfully. riley's eyes grew wide as the implication of murdoc's plan hit her. whatever happened, she wasn't leaving this facility alive.

+

_figured it out, did you?_

mac's phone buzzed with a new text and matty sighed. "he played us all mac. even his own son. we need to focus on finding riley, cassian's probably hidden away somewhere in europe by now." bozer pulled up the text on the screen silently. "that smug ba-" mac started, but one sharp look from russ shut him down. "we need to keep our cool. mac, this has always been a touchy op for you. are you sure you want to do this?"

before mac could answer, his phone buzzed again, but the words on the screen made him stop dead in his tracks.

_this is for macgyver's eyes only. bozer, be a dear and turn the screen off._

bozer looked at matty, and in turn matty looked at mac. "i can handle this. do it boze." he instructed, and bozer took down the projection. mac picked up his phone and left the room, sinking against the glass outside. 

_i'll make you an offer. deliver yourself to me-i'm warning you macgyver, no funny business-and i'll let your precious riley go free. you have ten seconds to choose_

mac's decision was instantaneous.

_time and location._

he could almost picture murdoc's sinister smile as he read the words.

_excellent. 2341 arctree road, come by yourself at midnight. there's a side alley by the facility._

mac gritted his teeth. this wasn't going to be easy to explain to the others, but if it was for riley, he'd do anything. even sacrifice himself. because as much as he hated to admit it, the feelings fluttering in his heart when she was around were hard to ignore. he was in love with riley. for the entire time. he let out a shaky exhale, realizing just how much she mattered to him. he wouldn't be here without her. she was his entire world, his support, his guidance, she was his _person_. and he was not letting her go.

_if you harm her..._

he let the threat hang. mac took one final glance at the phoenix and stood up, turning to the exit. it hit him that he might never come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aH i'm so involved in this story istg i'm going to cry when it ends UGH  
> also i lowkey feel like this chapter is trash so i'm so sorry. it's hard writing when ur trying to do integrals LMAO
> 
> spoiler: if anyone is confused, murdoc is xgamer34 and he pretended to be cassian's friend to learn about the camp, and then take him from camp to play mac into saving riley.


	5. mac + riley + escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mac finds himself in a sticky situation trying to save riley

"you couldn't find him?" desi frowned as bozer came back, shaking his head. "he's not here. check security cams." matty silently pulled up the cams, and the group went silent watching mac leave after reading a text. "can you enlarge that?" russ asked and matty zoomed in. a partial address was on the screen. "something 41 arctree. is that where murdoc's holding riley?"

bozer glanced at russ in confusion. mac was smarter than that, he wouldn't just go off because murdoc offered him an option to "save riley." he had to know murdoc was playing him right?

+

"i should have known." mac groaned as the henchmen parted to reveal murdoc. "hello macgyver. you look well. except for your broken nose." murdoc shrugged. "nothing that can't heal. do you know how long i've been planning this? i've wanted to get my hands on you for so long." he grinned and mac's stomach twisted.

"please don't hurt her. murdoc, i'm begging you, don't hurt her." mac pleaded, voice breaking as he thought of what riley had been subjected to. "too late." murdoc commented nonchalantly and mac's rage overflowed. "if you _touched_ her..." mac trailed off, eyes hardening and murdoc grinned. "you'll see. nobody's going to come for you for a long time mac. it's just me and you." he sneered and mac stayed silent, scanning the room.

"uh uh. there's nothing here for you to tinker with. eyes on me." reluctantly, mac trained his eyes back on murdoc. "i suppose you'll want to see her." murdoc nodded to a bulky man who disappeared, coming back into the room barely a minute later. a very dizzy riley was thrown into the room. "riles!" mac yelled out, longing to touch her, but he was restrained in a chair.

as far as he could tell, she hadn't been hurt much physically. but had they tortured her psychologically? riley glanced up dizzily, almost as if she was concussed and her eyes widened as she spotted mac. "mac?" she murmured, and all mac wanted to do was run to her and hold her close. "i'm here riles. i'm right here." "you're alive." she murmured, tears spilling down her face.

she had never looked more beautiful. "i'm here. i'm alive. riles i need you to stay awake for me. i think you're concussed." but she paid no attention, instead wrapping her arms around herself, shrinking into a corner. "he told me he killed you." she whispered brokenly into her knees and murdoc grinned. "oops. i lied. surprise. i'll leave you to it." murdoc winked at mac, slamming the heavy duty door shut behind him.

"hey, look at me." mac gently coaxed her to lift her eyes up. "riles, i'm right here. i know he blackmailed you into helping him escape. it's ok, we know." she exhaled staggeringly, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her chest. "he said he'd hurt you. i couldn't live with myself if he did." she started crying again and mac's heart broke all over again.

"damn it." he cursed, trying to rub the rope against itself to break out. it started fraying, and surprised, mac kept going. murdoc knew better to tie him up with cheap rope, he wanted mac to escape. _this was all a game for him._ mac realized with a chill. finally, he managed to snap the ropes keeping his hands bound, and quickly moved to untie his feet.

"riles." he whispered, moving quickly to her corner, gently sitting next to her. "can i?" he questioned and she nodded. mac lifted her head gently, tracing the bruises dotting her cheek and neck. "that bastard." he whispered, pulling her trembling body onto his. "i'm right here. i'm ok. you're ok. we're ok, we're going to be fine." he comforted her, rubbing his hands down her small back. she sobbed into him, face buried into the crook of his neck.

"he told me he killed you." she repeated and mac tightened his hold around her. "he didn't. he lied, riles i'm right here." she nodded, taking a deep breath. "we're ok." she whispered and mac grinned. "that's my girl. let's get out of here now, alright?" she swallowed, wiping her tears away and nodded. "please, lead the way." mac laughed as he helped her up, surveying their surroundings again.

it was a bleak concrete room. aside from the chair he was tied to, there was no furniture in the room. a small security camera was fastened in the far left corner, presumably so murdoc could watch over them. up above the door was a grated vent, but mac had nothing to pry the vent grate off. the door itself resembled a bank vault's, and mac knew there was no way to get past it. so that left... mac knocked the ground hesitantly. 

it definitely wasn't fully concrete, more like coated wood. before mac could say anything, riley came over to stand by him. "i've got an idea." mac looked at her, pride sparkling in his eyes. "shoot." riley cleared her throat, glancing at the floor and the vent. "it's concrete coated, right?" mac was impressed how quickly she had caught on. "yeah.." "so what if we manage to break off a concrete shard or two so we can unscrew the vent grate?"

to say that mac was surprised was an understatement. he hadn't even considered doing this, but when riley voiced it out, it was the obvious idea. "you're a genius." he said and riley smirked, untying her hair. "here." she slipped a small metal piece over to mac after pulling it out of her hair. "i was saving it for the right time." she looked a little embarrassed as she fixed her hair up again and mac shook her head.

"riles this is perfect. i'm so proud of you." he grinned, focusing on the ground and _not_ the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. after a few tries, the concrete started breaking off into shards, and riley managed to get a big enough piece to use a screwdriver. "can you reach it?" mac glanced back at riley, and his heart flipped at the sight. she was obviously too short to reach the grate, but seeing her trying her hardest on tippy-toe was the most adorable thing ever.

"i got it." he smirked at her, and riley rolled her eyes, stepping backwards to watch mac. after a few unsuccessful attempts, he managed to pry one screw off, and then a second one minutes later. "last two." he had to stand on tippy-toe to reach the top ones, making riley smile. "got it!" he exclaimed, tucking the shard into his jeans pocket.

mac grasped the grate and set it down, peering into the vent. it smelled a little musty, but overall it wasn't much of a health hazard. "riles, you're up." riley frowned, barely able to touch the vent. "i might need a hand." mac stepped forward hesitantly. "here." he kneeled down to riley could climb on his shoulders. "up you go miss davis." he teased, almost sending her headfirst in the vent. "it's totally not fair how tall you are." she laughed, squeezing her arms into the vent.

"sure." mac smirked, gently easing her in by pushing her feet. "got it." she wiggled forward, and mac could hear the smile in her voice. "alright, there's another grate that leads outside the door. and it looks loose!" she exclaimed, pushing it forward. it fell on the other side with a small clang and mac glanced at the camera. "this doesn't seem right." he commented as riley landed on the other side, opening the door for mac. "let's go!" riley urged, and the two broke into a run towards the main door at the end of the hallway. 

"it's like 1am isn't it?" riley laughed, a little out of breath and mac nodded. "i came here by midnight. there's my car." he pointed and riley rushed towards it, mac following her. and then he saw it. "riles!" he yelled out and she stopped seconds before colliding with the electrical barrier. "there's some sort of charged wire. we couldn't see it before because of how dark it is outside. we can't escape, we're trapped here."

"i'm impressed. it only took you two 20 minutes to break out. if you manage to escape again, i'll let you free. you have one hour. good luck." murdoc's voice fell silent, and the only noise was the barely-there hum of the electrical wire. "damn it." riley groaned, plopping down on the grass. "we can't short fuse this or anything, can we? we're stuck." 

+

"anything?" russ demanded as he walked into the room and matty nodded. "desi found an abandoned facility at 2341 arctree road. we're going to assume that's the address murdoc sent mac." "what are we waiting for people? let's go!" bozer started forward, but matty shut him down with a glare. "it's too dangerous to charge in, we're getting a tac team ready. we're going to get them back. we can't fail, for mac and riley." 

"for mac and riley." bozer, desi, and russ repeated, glancing back at the screen. it had barely been a day since riley was kidnapped, but already emotions were running high. for mac and riley's sake, desi knew she had to clear her head. they couldn't afford any slip ups, and they needed to recapture murdoc. a black site cell had his name on it, and desi would be damned if she let him escape again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER ASKSJDSJ i'm finishing up my school for the summer!! hope you enjoy! :)  
> also i KNOW that there was a chair in the room but i wanted mac to watch riley on tippy toes and for him to lift riley up so she could crawl through oK


	6. desi + mac + riley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the phoenix team closes in on mac and riley's location, and an accident changes the phoenix team forever

"how tall are the barriers anyways?" riley glanced up at the almost invisible fence, towering above them. "tall enough so we can't escape. there's nothing we can use to climb over them." mac surveyed the surroundings. the barren facility stood mere feet from them, yet mac felt miles away from murdoc. "matty knows. she has to." riley repeated to herself and mac glanced at her.

"we need to get out riles. i think we've already spent ten minutes sitting here doing nothing." "you'd be right." a mocking voice pierced the silent night air and riley rolled her eyes. "go to hell murdoc. we've done so much for you." murdoc didn't reply and riley groaned, glancing at the empty road leading back into the city. 

mac absently threw a rock into the barrier, which fried and blackened the rock. riley blanched, glancing at mac with the unspoken thank you in her eyes. he simply gave her a half-smile, continuing to fiddle with rocks. "we can't go under either, this is hard earth and we have nothing to dig with. murdoc planned this, there's absolutely nothing i can use to-" he pulled out a length of rubber coil from his pocket along with a small screwdriver and paperclips.

"i was working on-" riley leaned forward, eyes alight with hope. "mac, i love you so much right now." mac stopped, his heart pounding at a million miles per hour, but riley was oblivious. "uh-thanks." he swallowed, and riley moved forward, lining the right fence post with the rubber, careful to not electrocute herself. the electricity crackled, but since rubber was an insulator, the electricity was stopped. riley hesitantly put a hand through the fence and sighed with relief when nothing happened.

"come on, let's go!" she urged a still shocked mac. "you're a genius." mac murmured, climbing over the fence and turning back to help her out. riley swallowed to hide the flutters in her body and the two took off in a run down the road. "there's no way he's letting us go." mac panted and riley nodded. "he's still playing with us. there's probably people watching us." she look suspiciously into a bush big enough to conceal a bulky henchman.

the crunch of gravel of a car coming through a side road stopped mac and riley in their tracks. they turned towards the side road branching out from the main one in unison and riley swallowed hard. "i'm guessing that's not matty." mac whispered, grabbing riley's hand and yanking her forward. they ran like hell, but they knew they'd never be able to outrun murdoc and his men. 

so they weren't too surprised when they heard gunshots ringing behind them. but the henchmen weren't firing, there were cars following the cars following mac and riley. _phoenix!_ mac's spirits soared and riley shared his grin. they'd make it out alive. while the henchmen were distracted in the shootout with phoenix's tac team, mac pulled riley aside and they caught their breath at the side of the road. 

moments later, desi came rushing over. "are you two hurt? riley, you ok?" they nodded and desi took a breath, shooting a thumbs-up to a frowning bozer. "what happened?" she asked and mac waved her off. "later." he groaned, standing up to watch the gunfire. "let's get out of here. riley, let's go home." desi and her shared a small smile and they turned to follow desi to the car.

looking back on this moment, mac realized he shouldn't have turned his back to the cars. he should have known better, should have had the foresight to protect the girls. but murdoc had it in for him, not riley or desi. he heard the gunshot before riley and desi's identical shouts. moments later he had been thrown out of the way onto the ground.

he looked around wildly and spotted someone above him, screaming for help. "too loud." he whispered, bringing his hands up to his ears. "mac come on. get up, she's gone." a pair of hands lifted him up, and mac spotted bozer still in the car, shell-shocked. "russ? what-" mac tried to turn to the unmoving body left on the road, but someone else directed him towards the car.

"hey!" mac protested, struggling in russ's hands. mac broke free, rushing towards the body. she was face down, soft hair covering her face. her body was sprawled on the road, almost as she had tried to protect mac from the bullet. heart sinking, mac turned the body over and stared into her face.

_no_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT OMG OMG OMG WE'RE ALMOST DONE YOU GUYS! ALSO I LOWKEY HAVENT DECIDED WHO DIES YET LMFAOOOOO SOMEONE HELP ME I CANT CHOOSE


	7. funeral + mac + aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mac deals with the aftermath of her death

the day of the funeral was bleak. it rained the day before, which was fitting because mac's grief felt like the rain. he hadn't imagined he could get so close to someone in his life. he had loved her, cared for her more than anything. and just like that, she slipped away. like he tried to grab her and she drifted through his fingertips.

mac could fix everything. but this was something he couldn't fix. as he stood there with bozer by his side, a tear streaked down his face. _i won't cry, not today. she'd want me to be tough, to be ok. she gave her life for me_ mac swallowed hard, harshly wiping the tear away. "i miss her too man." bozer whispered, staring at the casket being lowered into the ground.

it was plain, simple black with silver engravings on the side. just like she'd have wanted it. but mac hated it, hated the meaning of it and what it held inside. her unmoving body. swallowing back more tears, mac respectfully backed away, walking towards his parents graves. ironically, she chose to be buried in the same section that ellen and james macgyver lay to rest.

"mom. dad." mac greeted, kneeling by the headstones. "i miss her." he admitted quietly, letting the tears fall freely. his parents wouldn't judge. "i should have been watching. it's my fault she gave her own life for me. my fault she was put in the situation in the first place." mac wiped the tears away, hunching over as the sobs racked his body.

"all my fault." he sobbed, burying his face in his hands as the world as he knew it crumbled away. they had been through so much together, only for it to end so suddenly. he didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. "i'm sorry. i'm so sorry." mac cried and cried for the loss of his dear friend. "i'm so sorry." he repeated, sitting down hard, probably ruining his suit in the wet mud, but he didn't care.

"i have to make it up to her. but i don't know how." mac closed his eyes, and a flash of light caused him to startle, opening his eyes immediately. it was as if ellen and james were talking to him. 

_"mac, the best way to make it up to her is to move on. it'll be hard, but life goes on. she wouldn't want you crippled by depression, crying by her headstone. she would want you to keep saving the world, like how she used to do with you. you know that's what she'd want."_ ellen said kindly, her empty eyes twinkling.

james nodded, arm around his wife. _"go on son. life goes on."_ he repeated and mac sighed, out of tears for the moment. "i can't do it without her." he admitted and ellen laughed. _"you did it before. and you'll continue to do it mac. i believe in you. your father believes in you. your team believes in you. and most importantly, she believes in you. so go on. go save the world."_

mac stood up, taking a deep breath. "mom, dad, thank you." he was talking to nobody. with a solemn smile on his face, mac made his way to rejoin to group. what happened to her was tragic, and mac knew he wouldn't ever be able to fully forgive himself for the tragedy. but his parents were right, he had to move on. life goes on, and mac's life was saving the world.

"we have a new mission." matty's voice interrupted his thoughts, and mac noticed the team staring at him tentatively. "what are we waiting for?" mac smiled softly. "life goes on."

and it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THE OPEN ENDING I JUST COULDNT DECIDE AND THIS WAS SO DELAYED AND SHORT AND JUST FORGIVE ME LMAO

**Author's Note:**

> this was so hard to write omg. our girl's gotta be safe!!  
> please please leave a comment! i love reading through feedback :)) the tumblrs @justkurotingz 
> 
> will keep updating this when i have time!!


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